Proceedings of the International Conference on Mechanics, Materials and Mechatronics (ICM³ 2026)

International Conference on Mechanics, Materials and Mechatronics (ICM³ 2026)

📍Hyderabad, India🗓️ 23-25 March 2026
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Adaptive Soft Elastomeric Fingers Pneumatically Actuated Extendable and Retractable Soft Robotic Gripper

Authors
Ishan S. Deshmukh1, Deepanshu Goel1, Hem Gosalia1, Jeane Marina D’Souza1, *
1Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
*Corresponding author. Email: jeane.dsouza@manipal.edu
Corresponding Author
Jeane Marina D’Souza
Available Online 4 September 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6239-764-4_13How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Adaptive Gripper; Finite Element Analysis; Mechatronics; Pneumatic Actuation; Soft Robotics
Abstract

The safe and adaptive manipulation of objects is a central issue in robotic automation, especially where the artefact in question is fragile, deformable, or of irregular shape. Rigid end-effectors are often characterized by low compliance, whereas extant soft robotic grippers often have fixed geometry and require a number of actuators to enable a transition between different grasping states. The current paper presents a pneumatically actuated soft robotic gripper with extendable and retractable silicone fingers allowing two-mode grasping with one pneumatic hose. The proposed design incorporates a conforming finger structure and a synchronized mechanical connection system in order to provide uniform bending and shape modulation. Finite Element Analysis confirms that the soft fingers have high, domesticated deflections necessary to adaptive grasping without structural breakdown. The gripper, due to its small size and compliant design, and the ability to operate in two modes, can be a promising solution to work in automation, food handling, and collaborative robotics.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Conference on Mechanics, Materials and Mechatronics (ICM³ 2026)
Series
Atlantis Highlights in Engineering
Publication Date
4 September 2026
ISBN
978-94-6239-764-4
ISSN
2589-4943
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6239-764-4_13How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Ishan S. Deshmukh
AU  - Deepanshu Goel
AU  - Hem Gosalia
AU  - Jeane Marina D’Souza
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/04
TI  - Adaptive Soft Elastomeric Fingers Pneumatically Actuated Extendable and Retractable Soft Robotic Gripper
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Mechanics, Materials and Mechatronics (ICM³ 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 159
EP  - 165
SN  - 2589-4943
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-764-4_13
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-764-4_13
ID  - Deshmukh2026
ER  -